Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia, the state capital and presided over by Justice Chijioke Thomas Adiele, has discharged and acquitted Philip Nto, a former Abia Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning over alleged conspiracy and corruption charges of N700million leveled against him by Independent Corrupt Practices and other related matters(ICPC)
The Judge noted that Nto was not guilty of the three count charges slammed on him by anti- graft body since the prosecution could not prove its case.
The court ordered co-defendants, Ikechukwu Onuh and Consolidated Business Associates Limited to forfeit the sum of N550million within 30 days to Abia State which Onuh, the managing director of the consulting firm collected on behalf of the state government as excess refund charges by Keystone Bank which was part of the N700million excess charges refund.
In his judgment, Justice Adiele said documents purported to have been signed by the former commissioner authorising the 2nd and 3rd defendants to transact business for the state were forged.
He said a handwriting expert testified in court that letters said to have been written by the former commissioner engaging the consultant and authorising Keystone Bank to pay them money were all forged.
Adiele further said that the signature expert confirmed that those letters were not signed by Nto and as such the former commissioner could not have indulged in corrupt practice.
He ordered that both the second and third defendants to return the N550million to Abia state government within 30days while frowning that it was wrong for the said defendants to have collected N700million from Keystone Bank and pay a paltry sum if N150million to Abia government.
While speaking with select journalists immediately after the judgment, Nto thanked God that at last he had been vindicated by the court which the last hope of common people.
He therefore demanded an unreserved apology from ICPC to be published in two National Dailies for tarnishing his image as a Public servant in the few years that the case lasted.
Enosa Omoghibo, counsel for ICPC said the Commission would study the judgment to know the next line, regarding the apology demanded.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
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